Fedya Stukov Movies
- 1981
While Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is regarded as one of the true classics of American literature, it has also become a favorite in many other countries around the world and this lengthy screen adaptation of Tom Sawyer was originally produced as a miniseries for Russian television. Tom Sawyer faithfully follows the narrative of the book as Tom (Fedya Stukov) and his friend, Huck Finn (Vladik Sukhachev), find adventure along the Mississippi River and Tom finds first love with Becky Thatcher (Mariya Mironova). For its American release on home video, Tom Sawyer was dubbed into English and the name of most of the cast and crew were Americanized; Fedya Stukov became Fred Stack and director Stanislav Govorukhin is credited as Stan Govorkin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fedya Stukov, Vladik Sukhachev, (more)
- 1981
Popular Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov was riding the crest of several well-received films (such as Slave of Love, 1976, or Five Evenings, 1978) when he opened this movie in the non-competing section at Cannes in 1983 -- so expectations were high. Unfortunately, this may have been one of his weakest career efforts. Intended as a satire on the urban/rural dichotomies in Russia, the film features Nonna Mordyukova as Maria Konovalova, a grandmother who is left to continue living on her own in the countryside when her daughter and family move to the big city of Moscow. Unnerved at being left alone and curious about what the urban attraction is anyway, Maria travels to her daughter's place and stays on for awhile. She sticks her unwanted nose into everyone's business -- daughter's, granddaughter's, ex-husband's, son-in-law's, and neighbors' too. By the time the meddlesome woman has alienated everyone around her (no wonder her family left), she realizes what she has done and bids a sniffling farewell as she heads to the train station and home -- but her family cannot leave it at that and decides to at least say good-bye on a better note. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nonna Mordyukova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, (more)
Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov takes a break from emulating his beloved Chekhov to film the classic Ivan Goncharov novel Oblomov. The title character (played by Oleg Tabakov) is a 19th century Russian civil servant and landlord who chooses to go to bed one day--and never get up. Preferring to sleep his way through life rather than confront it, Oblomov is shaken from his slumbers by the arrival of a childhood friend Shtoltz. A series of flashbacks show why it is that this friend's presence gets Oblomov out of his 'jammies and back on his feet. Also known as A Few Days in the Life of I. I. Oblomov, this sprightly film is an excellent early example of the work of the director who would win a 1994 Oscar for his Burnt by the Sun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Tabakov, Andryusha Razumovsky, (more)
